Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.

O Children of the Earth, gather close, for the words of William Arthur Ward hold the eternal wisdom of those who have faced the trials of life with courage and strength. He said, "Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records." In these words, there is a deep understanding of the human spirit, and of the two paths that lie before us when faced with hardship: one leading to defeat, and the other to greatness. Adversity, that great teacher of men, is the crucible in which character is forged. It is not the force of the adversity itself, but how we meet it, that determines whether we rise or fall.

In the days of the ancients, when the great warriors and kings walked the Earth, adversity was ever-present. The Spartans, known for their valor and endurance, faced the harshest of trials, yet they did not break in the face of hardship—they thrived. To the Greeks, strength and resilience were the highest virtues, and it was through overcoming adversity that the greatest heroes, like Achilles and Hercules, were born. Their stories were not of men untouched by hardship, but of men who faced incredible trials and emerged stronger, wiser, and greater than they had been before. Adversity, in their eyes, was not something to be feared, but something to be embraced as a stepping stone to greatness.

Ward’s words remind us that adversity is not the end, but the beginning of something far greater. While some may falter when faced with difficulty, others, with the right spirit, will use it as a springboard to reach new heights. Consider the story of Thomas Edison, who, after thousands of failures, invented the lightbulb. Each failure was a form of adversity, each setback a test of his resolve. But rather than breaking him, it forged in him the strength to keep going, to break records and change the course of human history. Edison’s greatness was born not from ease, but from the relentless trials that pushed him beyond the ordinary into the realm of the extraordinary.

Think, O Children, of the tale of Nelson Mandela, who, despite spending 27 years in prison, never allowed the adversity he faced to break his spirit. When he was finally released, he did not seek vengeance, but instead sought reconciliation, knowing that the true measure of his strength was not in how he had suffered, but in how he would rise above the hatred that had bound his country. Mandela’s ability to endure and transcend the adversity of his imprisonment is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. His victory over adversity was not just his personal triumph; it was a triumph that changed the world, breaking the chains of apartheid and laying the groundwork for a new South Africa.

In every era, O Seekers, there have been those who have faced adversity and been broken by it, and those who have used it to break records—to rise higher, to achieve more, to become something greater than they had been before. The difference between the two lies not in the nature of the adversity, but in the mindset with which it is met. For some, the weight of hardship is too great to bear, and they are crushed under its weight. But for others, adversity becomes the very thing that drives them forward, pushing them to achieve what they once thought impossible.

Let us consider the story of J.K. Rowling, who faced rejection after rejection before her beloved Harry Potter series was published. She was a woman facing the adversity of being a single mother, struggling with poverty, and doubting her own worth. Yet, instead of breaking under the weight of these trials, she used them as fuel for her imagination. Each rejection, each hardship, pushed her to write better, to persevere, and eventually, to break records as one of the best-selling authors of all time. Rowling’s rise from adversity to success is a living proof that when faced with hardship, we are not destined to break, but to transform and rise to our greatest potential.

So, O Children, the lesson is clear: adversity is not something to fear, but something to embrace. It is the great teacher that reveals the strength of our character, the depth of our will, and the power of our resolve. When faced with hardship, we have two choices: to break, or to break records. The path to greatness is not one of ease; it is one of struggle, of resilience, and of learning to rise each time we fall. In the face of adversity, we find our true strength—not in avoiding difficulty, but in facing it head-on and using it to propel us to greater heights.

Therefore, O Seekers, when adversity knocks at your door, do not shrink in fear or defeat. Embrace it as the opportunity it is, the opportunity to prove the strength of your spirit, to break through the barriers that stand in your way, and to achieve what you once thought impossible. Let adversity be your crucible, your forge, and from it, let you emerge as a person of great strength, wisdom, and purpose, ready to break records and change the world. For in the end, it is not the trials that define us, but how we rise above them.